Welcome to the Sunday morning service at Bible Baptist Church in Hampton, Georgia, where Pastor Lauren Regeer opens God's Word each week to provide us with biblically based teaching that helps you meet life head on. Thank you for joining us and may your hearts be blessed as God's Word is taught. And now here is Pastor Lauren Regeer. If you have your Bibles, I trust you do today. This is Bible Baptist Church, by the way, in case you hadn't figured that out. Take your Bibles, please, and let's go to one of the last chapters, the second to last chapter of the Bible. Great chapters of the Bible. We're looking at a couple of them. We'll take a couple of weeks with this. Revelation chapter 21. Title this morning is From Gloom to Glory. From Gloom to Glory. I think as a church, we ought to be talking more and more about heaven. It is our final destination as believers, and certainly we ought to be those who are excited about the journey there. Someone has said the Lord hasn't said a lot about heaven in description, simply because we'd be too eager to get there. But what is given for us is glorious indeed, from gloom to glory. But if I were to ask you this morning, really your life story, what would you say? I was born at such and such a day and such a place. I grew up in this kind of home. Brothers and sisters, well, yes, I had a few. My school days were spending this or that. And if you married with a twinkle in your eye, you would say something like, oh yes, I remember meeting him or her. And you probably remember the place, maybe even the time, in which you met your sweetheart. For me, it was the cafeteria at Pensacola Christian College, which they have since renamed the Regier Hendrickson Discovery and Renaissance Center. I'm glad they did that. That's where I met, no they haven't by the way, but that's where I met Robin and What a blessing it was my life was changed for the better, I might add. Your story probably includes children, a job or two or three, cars, perhaps a pet or two, your conversion, the time where you met the Lord as your Savior, if you have. And then, of course, there's the trials. Has your life story included a few trials? I'm sure it has. A few joys along the way. And certainly our lives then, if we've lived long enough, perhaps include grandkids. That is changing my life. The grandkid, I should say, singular. We hope for more, of course. But we're thankful for our life story. As you walk through cemeteries, I don't know if that's a habit of yours, But if you do or go there on occasion, you will see people's life stories condensed to a little dash. All the details, say those who put together grave markers, headstones, are too difficult. to carve between the two dates, your birth date and your death date. And so they condense your life, I know this is humbling, to one little dash." Isn't that amazing? And so we are to ask the question, what is it that our lives are all about? Is that the best I get, just a little dash? That's kind of gloomy, isn't it? In fact, we can tell the Bible story, and here's a rendition of that, a picture drawn in chalk. Someone said by a third grader of what happened and where all the gloom began. It began way back in the Garden of Eden. An atheist would say, well, we just live our lives. We live and then we die. The Bible says the fool has said in his heart, there is no God. And so we have to ask the question when we think about grave markers. I may have had one here. I don't know this person, but you see this. Just two dates separated by a dash. That's all we know. I don't think I knew this lady personally, just a picture I pulled down. Katherine Ann Johnson, she lived from such and such a date to such and such a date, and there's her life captured in the middle by that little dash. I want to spend a couple Sundays looking at the end of the story. For us, will it be gloom or will it be glory? We'll spend a couple Sundays looking at this. The Bible says, Paul says this, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are what? Of all men, most miserable. We'll be really introducing this chapter for the most part before we share the elements of communion together, but by way of introduction, may I say that there is your story and mine, which is or tends to be rather gloomy because if we can back up to this, there was a time where man in an ideal situation, right? In a perfect environment without any bothering neighbors or perhaps in-laws to cause trouble in this ideal environment, Adam and Eve, in the perfect place, the ideal place, chose to sin. They chose to disobey God. It wasn't God's fault that the world today is in a state of entropy or decline. We talked about that in Sunday school a little bit. The world is spinning in a sense and dying as it spins because we are Really, the entrance of sin all the way back in the Garden some 6,000 years ago to the original couple, Adam and Eve, chose to believe that God wasn't quite good enough. And that God, in their selfish selves, they believed that perhaps it was withholding from them something. Imagine that, God withholding something from them in the Garden of Eden. But yet they did. They believed the deception and lie. And both of them chose to sin. And here is a third grader's rendition of the time the angel cast them out of the garden. And then, of course, stands at the gate to protect it from their re-entry. And I have to think, that story that began so beautifully, so early in the history of humanity, is that going to be then the tenor? Is that going to cast a pallor forever upon us? Are we always destined to live in this spirit of gloom? Adam couldn't blame his environment, his parents, his neighbors, or his God, but in that sense, in the middle of that perfect place, he failed. He chose to sin, surrounded by the purest delights and pleasures. Man who had only one prohibition, can you imagine that? Not to eat of one tree, decided to do so. And when they did, things began to spiral downward and man became sinners. And as a result, the Bible says that in Adam, Romans 5, 12, wherefore is by one man sin entered the world, and death by this sin. So death passed or was spread upon all men, for all have sinned. Hopelessness and gloom entered the world, and all the things that attend that, including death, sin, and hell, the just desert for man's punishment and sin, were the result of that fall." Yesterday at the fair, late last night, we had the privilege of passing out tracts to many. It was a full fair. There was a lot of people there. The weather finally broke. Did you notice that a little bit yesterday? And people came out to the fair in big numbers. It was our joy just to ask them a little bit as they were passing by this booth, as we're passing out tracts and literature, just asking about their relationship with the Lord, most of them. would look at us with blank stares when I asked the question, if your life were to end soon, and your life will end, I don't know if soon or not, but your life will end and you're to stand before the Lord, what would you tell him? If he were to ask you that important question, because you do have an appointment with God, is appointed on the man wants to die. And after this, the judgment, I said, what would you, what would you tell the Lord, the King of Kings? Who is the Lord of a perfect environment in heaven? What would you tell Him if He were to ask you, why should I let you into my perfect heaven? What would you tell Him? And do you know, I didn't talk to one person that knew the answer to that in Christian America. One came pretty close and she said, well, I know what the answer to that is with a big smile on her face. She said, you've got to trust Christ. I said, that sounds good. Tell me what that means. And she had no idea. There's a big difference between believing in God and believing God, trusting him with your life, giving to him your sinfulness. admitting to Him your sinfulness and receiving. We really don't give God anything when we get saved. He gives us His life. He paid the penalty for our sin. A lot of people, most people, don't know that wonderful story. And that is a glorious story. It's the good news of the gospel. That's what God calls the gospel in the Bible. The good news that sinners don't have to die and be separated forever from Him in a place the Bible calls hell, but there's hope. This gloom, our gloomy stories, and have you noticed how gloomy the news is? My wife loves to watch the news. I said, honey, why? It's so gloomy. People shooting each other, getting road rage and things blowing up and people hurting one another. I said, that's the news. You know why that's the news? Because we can trace it all the way back to the garden. We're sinners at heart and sinners by choice. And then I like the fact that Jesus came and penetrated this culture. He didn't leave us in our gloom, did He? He came and He provided for us an answer. The Bible says, there's none of us that seeketh after God. I found that out again last night. As I worked at this little fair for a little while, I found out that none of us came. Nobody came just running to the booth and said, you know what? I have been looking for God all my life. Glad you came. I'm tired of eating all these corn dogs and greasy food. I want to know about heaven. Nobody said that. None of us naturally desire God. We don't. Because of our sin nature that was really the product of our forebears, Adam and Eve, all of us go astray from the womb speaking lies. Have you noticed, moms, that you don't have to teach your child how to lie? That's part of the package. Sin nature comes and it's endemic to our culture and our lives. John said, however, when Jesus came, He penetrated the gloom with glory. In fact, light is the very environment of heaven. We'll see that in this these final two chapters of the Bible, when we became part of His family by faith in His finished work. Jesus Christ provides for us a glory light in our hearts. That becomes His story, becomes our story. And any story that Christ starts, any story that God writes, and He is both the author and finisher of our faith, He is the Alpha and the Omega, and when He writes a story, He does not allow the gloom of sin to forever tarnish it. It will be restored. The perfect environment that began creation's work, one day we will enjoy again in further and more exceeding glory. Aren't you glad that God isn't going to give up on us? He that began a good work will certainly perfect it. We're thankful for the end of the story. John said, when we beheld Him, We beheld life, light, and love. Those are the three themes of the Gospel of John. And that light shone into our darkness. And John 1 says, that light was the light of the world. First John 1.5, here's the good news. What was once captured by sin is now rescued by grace. In fact, even back in the Old Testament, Moses said, just look and live. Look to Jesus now and live. There's hope, there's glory. And once we receive him, our story is now captured by his story and our identity is now, we are in Christ and Christ is in us, the hope of what? The hope of glory. your story, no matter how bleak your beginning, how dark it was, truly is a story of great, great glory. We look forward to what is yet to happen, yet to be. And the writer Paul of Ephesians says, we are already positionally seated where? In the heavenlies. If you are part of the family of God, if you've trusted the Lord with your life and given and trusted him and his life, and he's given you, of course, his son, his spirit abiding within you. you have for you the great prospect of a great glorious future. We'll see that. It's really just a postcard that's situated at the end of the Bible. And it's a postcard of the new Jerusalem, the new earth, the new heavens, and of course heaven itself. 1 John 1, 5 says this, we reflect His glory. Here's the verse, God is light and in Him is what? No darkness at all. There's a day coming when we're gonna live in an environment where there is no night at all because God is the light of this kingdom and city and place. Amen. Poet Browning wrote it this way. He said it this way. My own hope is that a sun will pierce the thickest cloud earth ever stretched, that after last will return the first, that what began best can't end worst. nor what God blessed once, prove at the last." He said, I'm not going to leave it this way. In the gathering gloom of time, God said, I'm not going to leave it this way. Eve, there's coming a person who will, although bruise your heel, that person, Jesus Christ, will crush the head of this serpent. Amen for that day. And then he further promised Abraham, from your seed will come one that will bless all the nations of the earth. So God isn't, although Satan had his day in the garden, the last day and the last trump and the last voice has not been uttered and God will have the last word. Today we have to promise the Davidic covenant. He said, David, from your line will come a king, the king of kings that will forever reign. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. Amen and amen. So we are to look forward to that day when he will make all things new, including you and me. Thanks be to God for that. Amen. We got to get off this picture of a gravestone pretty soon. What is heaven like? What is heaven to be like? I'm thankful for the fact that no matter if it is gloomy in here or gloomy outside here, gloomy in our world today, I'm thankful that a day is coming where light will penetrate the darkness and the darkness will be no more. The Bible says there will even be no need for sun, moon, and stars in heaven because who is the light of heaven? God Himself. will be the light of that wonderful place. Well, how does the glory overcome the gloom? Now we're ready with those words of introduction to look at Revelation chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21 please. These are the last two chapters of the Bible, 21 and 22. Revelation 20. ends with the last and final white throne judgment. And we'll back up to verse 15. We'll pick up the reading there, chapter 20, verse 15. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This statement alone troubles many that a good God would ever do such a thing, but God doesn't do this thing to sinners. We do it to ourselves. In our lifetime, somewhere along the line, we reject the advances of the gospel. We reject everything that God means to us. By the voice of our conscience, by the evidence of nature, or even by the written word, we reject these three evidences and we turn our back on God. And whosoever does that, they're not found written in the book of life. They're cast forever into the lake of fire. There's a grand separation right there. At the end of the millennial period, we see the eternal state beginning, and that's where we are in chapter 21. Wonderful words. John the Revelator, who's on the Isle of Patmos, is writing these words in isolation. God is giving him the vision of what shall come to pass. Not many people in the Bible had a glimpse of heaven. John did. Paul did. Others just a postcard. I think the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration got a glimpse to the environment of heaven. But here John gets probably the fullest view of any human. I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem. not remade Jerusalem, but new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, this is nearly the 20th time we hear this voice from heaven. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them And they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." Talk to one of our dear church members who says, I live with pain. There's a day coming, dear friends, when there will be no more pain. For the former things are passed away. All the things associated with our sin nature and sinful world will be expunged and done away with. And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And John by this time is so enraptured by the vision of heaven that his quill has nearly hit the ground. And the spirit of God says, John, Pick up the pen. These things are faithful and true. Write them down. He said unto me, write for these words true and faithful. He said to me, it is done. Isn't that wonderful? It is done. The history, the panorama of all of human history is finally over. I'm the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is a thirst the fountain of the water of life freely. Beatitudes blessed are those that thirst, hunger and thirst after right. He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son. Talk next week about who will not be in heaven. We'll also talk about the very exciting and beautiful characteristics of the very city itself, the New Jerusalem. What descriptive language is used in the verses that ensue. We'll look about those who will come and those who will not be there. But I'm so thankful for these marvelous verses that give us a sense of God's very presence in this place and the fact that He's calling us to this place. Well, let's back up to the first verse. We'll get to some of those other verses next week, Lord willing. But you see there in chapter 20 at the very end, we'll start there again. The Bible says, "...whatsoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Let me advance this screen. Perhaps you can see these little blank spaces to fill out in our outline today. Again, death and hell, verse 14 of chapter 20, were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second This is the death spoken of in Romans chapter 3 and 23, the spiritual separation from God in a place the Bible calls hell. That place will be occupied by those who are unbelievers. In other words, all those who rejected the advances of the gospel in Christ And the Spirit calling them to repentance will then occupy hell. And the Bible says this is a literal place that burns with a fire and there will be this what's called the great white throne judgment. In verse 12, if we back up in the text a little bit, chapter 20, as we set up what's happening in New Jerusalem, we see what's happening right before that. And the Bible says, even verse 11, I saw a great white throne. There are four end time judgments and this will be the final one. When all the unbelievers of all times are gathered, you say, what about those that were burned in fire? What about those who were drowned in the sea and ate by sharks and all this? God will reconstitute their bodies and they will all come and present themselves before the Lord. And this is not to see if or maybe I can get out of this. No, these are all unbelievers. Again, during the course of their lives, they said no to God. And they will be called, as the Bible says, every one of us will give an account before the Lord. Believers will not be a part of this judgment, only unbelievers. And they will be judged according to their works. There are degrees of punishment even in hell. And so the issue at this judgment, the great white throne judgment, is not about whether I'm saved or lost. These are only lost people whose names are not written in the book of life. And they will be judged according to their works. We see that. In verse 12, at the end of that verse, and they will be judged each one according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead, so forth, and they were judged every man according again to their works. Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. One of the most scary verses, and I shared this with one of the people last night, is this, that not all who claim, and I had one who said this last night, well I know that God will bring me in because God loves everybody, and I'm in everybody. Well, it's true that God loves everybody, but you may not be related to Him because you've never received Him and trusted in His finished work on your behalf. You're not related to God until you receive Him as your Lord and Savior. There's a day coming when many, and even in this scene, we can almost hear the shout of many who said, but wait a minute. Matthew chapter seven, verse 21 and 22, didn't I cast out demons in your name? How many of you have done that? How many of you have done many wonderful works, done miracles and signs in the name of the Lord? The Lord says there will be some who will say this, I've done many wonderful things even to the point of casting, I've never done that. There are people that maybe whose works, spiritual works, quote-unquote, have outshone yours, who will be standing there in that last day and say, Lord, but what about the wonderful works? He'll say to them, depart from me, I've never known you. So, with that scene, all the unbelievers gone, and the devil himself thrown into the lake of fire. We start the new era, the eternal state, and what a glorious thing that will be. So the first little line there, it is only for believers. That's what heaven is all about. It's only for believers. And it will be made new. Look at verse one and verse five. I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Peter tells us how that will happen. It'll be a worldwide fire that consumes this globe. You say, well, I hope there'll be some, and there is some controversy among Bible scholars. Does that mean that just the surface of the earth will be reconstituted? And although there's still some room for speculation, I believe when God says it's gonna be created new, it will be created new. God's starting over. He's removing from this new earth and this new heaven any semblance and attachment to the old sinful world corrupted once in the garden and all those thousands of years later by the propagation of the sinful man and sinful heart of man and he is going to start new. It's not going to be a remodel. He is gonna make it new. New heavens, new earth, and a new Jerusalem. You think of it this way, heaven has always existed, it's the abode of God, and we don't know if there's even a border to that. We just know that that will be the outside environment, if we can use that word, and then inside, God will create a new heaven and a new earth, and we don't know exactly. I mean, I've read so many commentaries about this. We don't know exactly what God is gonna place in that. He's going to do away with some things. There'll be no need for the sun, as I mentioned. And some of the planets will be burned up and the stars will fall. The tribulation, we know that. And God starts over. I think, as the Bible says, I have not seen or ear heard the marvelous things that God has planned for us. And so inside the environment of heaven, which will, in a sense, envelop the new heavens and the new earth, God will create new. There's a question about that. Does that mean that this celestial city that John saw by vision, God transported him up to a high mountain, the Bible says, and he saw the New Jerusalem in prospect, in vision, coming out of heaven, descending from God. Number two, it will be made new. It is a real place prepared by God. Let's look at verse two. Does that mean that this is a place that's unfamiliar to saints up until this moment? I don't know. I do know that there are some that say that this heavenly New Jerusalem is a satellite city. that is suspended during the millennial period. And we who are saints that have been raptured up or caught up together to be with the Lord, or have died, of course, as believers, will occupy that city and we'll have the opportunity to rule and reign during the millennial period, which we know is true, and to be able to just shuttle back and forth on heavenly wings. That may be true, we don't know, because we know that the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, does not ever come down and settle upon the earth. the old earth, because God is going to burn that up. So we may have access, but I think God is going to reveal this for the first time. The reason I believe this is, and I may be wrong here, I'll just admit that, but he says, let's start back in verse one. I saw the new heaven, the new earth, the older passed away. There's no more sea. We know that this isn't the We know that this isn't the old earth kind of remodeled because the millennial kingdom even has a sea, we know that, and water. Two-thirds of the current earth is covered by water. But the new earth will have no more seas. Nijon saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. It's from God out of heaven prepared. It's a place prepared by God. It's in your outline there. It's a place prepared. And what does it say about heaven? What is heaven all about? Well, it came down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Now, some think, well, that must mean it's the church. No, this is a city, literal city, 1500 miles wide, tall, square, cube. That's a lot of area. And some have thought, well, that's just going to come down. God's going to plop that down over current Israel. Do you know current Israel is about 300 miles wide by 80 or 90, excuse me, 90 miles wide by 300 some miles long. Now, during the millennium, God's going to extend those borders to the promised borders that he gave to David. and Abraham, but still, if you were to think about this, here's a New Jerusalem city scale. If you look at that cube as compared to the world today, that would be the dimensions of New Jerusalem. Now, hopefully it won't look like a yellow box. But I wanted you to know something, and I know it won't sit down over Arkansas. I just know that. But wherever God lands it on the globe, It is going to be glorious to see that wonderful city. That's the current scale of how big that city is. And some say, well, there'll be all these tiers or almost like floors in this new city. We don't know. But it'll be a marvelous thing. And John the Revelator saw it. with, of course, glorified eyesight as God revealed what will happen in days to come and gave us a little snapshot of this in the Bible in Revelation chapter 21. It will descend out of heaven. Let me back up here to our outline. That's about the size of the city. And it came into view and, of course, it's a glorious thing. And you notice, I've already mentioned this, that it's not an extension of the Millennial Kingdom. Although there's not a lot of information about the city, the New Jerusalem or New Earth, we know that it is not, again, Earth remade. Peter tells us that the Earth's elements will be burned up. And we're thankful that this new city has come prepared as a bride for her husband. That's where we were when we kind of left off and took a rabbit trail there. That is the sense in which this city is not in reference to the church alone because we know that in the end times, the eternal state, heaven will be occupied by not only the church, the bride of Christ, But by, of course, Jewish believers and believers that got saved before the church age. This is going to be a compilation, a composition of believers of all generations and all dispensations. And really the idea is the city itself is prepared by God for the saints. Be a glorious thing to see. And it is pictured again as God, even a throwback really to the Jewish wedding where God, the Father, prepares a house for His bride to be. And so it's a neat thing, or a son's bride. And so here we see, in a sense, God preparing the extra room. I go to prepare a place for you. It is a prepared place. John 14 too says that. If it were not so, I would have told you. I will return, but I'm preparing this place for the bride in this case, which encompasses all believers. There are times in the Old Testament where God calls His people, the Jewish people, a bride. He also calls the church, of course, His bride as well. So what is heaven all about? It's a prepared place for believers to enjoy God. It's a perfect and prepared place for believers to enjoy God forever. What a glorious thing that is. Where will heaven be? Have I filled in all the blanks for you? Let's figure that out because I'm going to worry some of you if we don't get these blanks filled in perfectly. It is a place that is free of what? Verse 4, look at it. God shall wipe away all tears, and there shall be no more death, sorrow crying, neither shall there be more pain, for the former things are passed away." What do you think the answer is to number four? Somebody had the right answer. You're ahead of the class. You're ahead of the crowd. Good. You would think, well, that's a place free of pain. We're not crying anymore. There's no more tears. But all that is related to what? The sin. That's part of the former things that God will wipe away. God wipes away all these tears and He says, I will make all things new. Then I've got to turn to look at this list because that is hard for me to see over there. There's a place that we will be for what? Look at verse 22, chapter 22 and verse 5. Skip over a chapter. We'll get to this in time. There shall be no night, no candle, nor sun for the Lord giveth them light and they shall reign for what? forever and ever. It's a place we will be forever. So heaven, a prepared place, perfect place, developed or designed by God for believers to enjoy Him forever. That's really the place where we will enjoy fellowship with Him. Then where will heaven be? Now, again, I'll hasten through this, but heaven has not been, we don't have a GPS location. You can't punch in heaven. and on your little, whatever it is, your seer, ask, where is heaven? But God gives us a hint. He gives us the dimensions, not the topography or the geography of heaven itself, the scope of God's abode, but he does give us an idea. I've already mentioned that, the dimensions of the new city. And next week, we'll look at the glorious composition of her walls and her streets, the product. If you're a builder, Where do you go to find this kind of building material? Gold that's as transparent as glass and every beautiful jewel in the world is embedded in the walls, gates of pearls. These are the construction materials of our future home. I hope you're getting a little bit excited about this. You say, this is just all a myth and it's a fairy tale. No, God gave us just a snapshot to put on the refrigerator of our minds. that we might get excited about our eternal home. But here's the point. Heaven is where? Where is heaven? And I'm going to talk about this in a figurative, perhaps in a spiritual sense. Verse three, we've got to understand this. Where is heaven? And I think this is really the point that we need to make this morning. Heard a great voice, out of heaven. This is what God has been pursuing. Because before time, before anything was created, including the angels, when God, far as we know, resided by himself, the Godhead, before anything was created, What was going on? Before there was any garden or the man in the garden fell, God, what was God doing? God was in heaven, the Trinity. And what was going on? Well, before there was any creation, there was relation. And John, perhaps one of the In the inner circle, the three disciples most connected to Christ, closest to him, Peter, James, and John. John described what was going on. We only have a tiny sliver of truth about what was in the pre-creative place with God. And John says this about Jesus Christ, who predated, by the way, was everlasting and predated creation. the agent in creation. Here's what Jesus was doing before he was incarnated. And John 1 18 says that Jesus was leaning on the bosom of the Father. What does that tell you? There is such an inner Trinitarian love and relation that was so close, and still is, that before creation there was this, and so after all the trouble of a thousand years that sin has brought, the story of a man that darkened and brought gloom to the history of time, Before that, there was perfect relationship, and after it's all done, this is the goal of God. If you're here without Christ this morning, hear me well, God wants your heart. More than he wants your tithe and sacrifice and attendance to church, God, first of all, foremost, made you for fellowship with him, and that was the story of the garden that was interrupted by sin, and it is a story that will take up and pick up again when we return to this eternal state, and when the saints go marching in, it won't be about meeting Grandma. I can't wait to see Grandma Mary. She's prayed for me all her life, and now she's in glory, and she's still praying for me. But that's not the point of heaven. Sometimes in a few, it won't be a little while, we'll see Him again. Yes. But the point of heaven is this relationship with Christ. This immediate communion that we'll have with Him. This visible. And that's the point. Heaven is a place where God's people and God are forever together. And that's the point. Here's a picture perhaps of the Last Supper where John himself was leaning just on the shoulder there of Christ himself. And there's that spirit of unity and closeness that comes when heaven is about closeness with God. A prepared, perfect place where God's people and God are forever together. I can't wait to see some of these friends of mine. And there's more and more of this growing list of folks that have gone on to heaven. What a blessing to know that Jesus is there every day of the world. We don't have days anymore, but every moment. We can see Him who loved us and gave Himself. Heaven is the happy reality of God and His visible presence with us forever. His personal likeness, His present nearness, His perfect communion forever with us. Heaven, where is it? It is a place where there is togetherness with God forever. You think about it. Before all things were created, God and the Trinity We're so closely entwined and still are, and for some reason, and I don't know why, well, we do, we have a hint, John 3, 16. But God, who was autonomous, He didn't need us, created a man whom He knew would sin and fail and fall, but He also knew the end of the story would bring us great glory in Him, great fellowship, and so He made us for Himself. And in John 17, He prays, I will that, Lord, He's praying to His Father, I will that they would be with me where I am. And that's the story, my new story, in yours as a believer. You get to be with Him where He is. Uninterrupted fellowship. One commentator, and I agree with him, says, if you can think of it this way without any disrespect, heaven is an endless embrace with God. in a place that's perfect, free of pain. It's an endless embrace. Thank you for joining us today. Please tune in each week for new messages from Pastor Lauren Regeer at Bible Baptist Church in Hampton, Georgia. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you.